Saved From Fate
by crazypandagirl
Summary: All she ever knew was pain and misery, by the hand of Validar, no less. She was never the tactician, she was always a prisoner, tortured to try bringing Grima's consciousness back. At the last moment, Chrom and his Shepherds lead a daring rescue, but know almost nothing of the nameless girl they are rescuing from the Awakening. ChromxRobin, torture, depression, romance, strong T
1. Chapter 1

Robin POV

I sit in the dark dungeon, hands folded in my lap, covered in tattered cloth that can't even be considered as decent clothing. My shirt is pretty much just a thin rag that covers my chest, but exposes my shoulders and stomach to the chilled air. My feet are bare and covered in scratches and calluses from walking on the stone for so long. My whole body is covered in filth and stained with blood, my hair an undistinguishable color for so long that I can't even remember what it once was.

I try to ignore the pain of the lashings on my back, the cuts on my arms and stomach, the bruises all over my body, and the pain in my whole body. The blood trickles from every wound, dribbling slowly in a torture of its own as it won't clot on its own anymore. The cold air does nothing to help my blood retain its warmth, and it only makes me shiver with an even worse chill than before.

The door to my cell opens, and Father walks in, a cloak in his hand. "Girl, stand up." I hurry to obey him, keeping a straight face even though I want to scream from the agony of moving. "Put this on, and follow me." He throws the cloak at me, just as icy as his tone, yet still warming me from the chilled air.

I follow him out to the hall, where priests dressed in their finest and armed with swords and tomes follow along behind us, guarding us from an unknown threat. I remain silent as we reach the altar room, where a shield with glittering gems in different colors rests in the center. Father stops walking, and I glance down to the floor, bowing my head to him.

"I want you to pray to Grima, and when you finish, touch the Fire Emblem. Understood?" I nod quickly. "Good. And don't you dare to move from your spot until your prayers are done."

I kneel in front of the altar, hearing a faint screaming, quickly overpowered by the sound of the doors crashing open, a man with blue hair leading a slew of soldiers in various colors into the room, the most notable a girl with long blue hair wielding the same sword as him.

"Stop this now, Validar! It's over!" he shouts, raising his blade to Father in a challenge.

A purple curtain of magic surrounds the area of the altar, trapping the two in the area with us. "Foolish Prince! This is just the beginning! You will soon know nothing but the wrath of Grima!" I try to think of my prayers, but they don't go towards Grima, rather any deity besides the Fell Dragon. "Focus on your prayers now, girl!"

I cringe and feel tears slip from my eyes, clenching them shut as I wrench myself from the ground, taking a charge at the magical barrier. Before I can hit it, the woman grabs me, pulling me close and shoving me behind her. I shake in fear as Father glares furiously at me.

"You're going to be alright, we'll get you out of here." The man states calmly, glancing back at me. "Just stay there until we defeat him, alright?" I nod fearfully and close my eyes, curling in on myself as I sit on the ground, wrapping my cloak ever closer around myself.

"Foolish girl! Just as faithless as your mother!" he charges up a spell as the two blue-headed lords take a charge at him. "You will all be punished!"

"Not today!" the woman shouts over the sounds of magic crackling against their blades. "Nor ever again, Validar!"

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh makes me open my eyes, seeing Father's head rolling away from his body, spurting blood and leaking dark magic. "Well done, Lucina."

"Thank you, Father." Their footsteps approach me, and I focus on them rather than on Father's corpse. "Miss, are you alright?" she asks, offering a hand.

I tremble as I stare at her hand in fright, glancing between the offered hand and the blade held in the other, dripping blood. "Miss?" the man asks, clearly worried as he kneels down to look me in the eye. "We won't hurt you. It's clear you didn't want to be here, and we won't hold it against you."

I curl tighter and clench my eyes in pain, a small sound escaping me. "Are you hurt?" the woman asks, to which I nod. "Can you speak at all?" I shake my head slowly, not sure if I'm even able to.

A woman in a yellow sage's robes comes running over, and I stare in fear as she pulls out a rod. "What's going on? Is this the girl we heard about?"

The man nods. "I think so. Validar was trying to make her pray, but she ran away from the altar instead. She either can't or won't talk, but I don't blame her. She also seems to be in pain, is there anything you could do about that, Lissa?"

The girl, Lissa, looks me over and nods slowly. "I can, but we should get her out of here first. She's terrified, and I want her comfortable while I heal her."

He nods, and offers me a hand, the two blue-haired sword owners having put away their blades. "Give me your hand, we'll take you from this place." I slowly offer back my own hand, cringing in pain as I do.

"No, stop moving!" Lissa shrieks, seeing something. "Chrom, look! She's bleeding too much!" she points at the ground under me, where a small puddle of blood has formed under me. "I need to take care of some wounds right now, comfort will have to wait!"

The woman with blue hair turns Chrom around as Lissa pulls my legs from my chest, opening the front of my coat to reveal only some of my wounds. "By the gods…" she and Lissa gasp in pity as she goes to work on the stomach wounds. They stop bleeding immediately, and some of the pain goes away as she waves her magic staff over me, then she goes on to heal my exposed legs. "This looks like torture." She looks me in the eye, and I look away in shame. "I can't do much more at the moment with this staff, but once we leave we will get you properly healed."

The other girl kneels in front of me and pulls the coat shut. "Father, can you carry her?"

He turns and kneels next to me again as the rest of his force approaches, looking on worriedly at the scene. "I think so, as long as you can make sure we get out of here safely." He tilts my chin gently up so I look into his beautiful blue eyes. "Are you alright with me carrying you?" I nod and cross my arms over my stomach as he runs an arm under my knees and around my shoulders ever so delicately, much to my appreciation. "Shepherds, let's go." As he carries me from the room, I shiver and burrow into his warm chest, falling asleep for the first time ever in peace.

Back at Camp

I wake up as I'm laid down on something soft and warm, and to the sound of a female voice shooing someone out. I open my eyes to find a strange ceiling over me, one not of stone but of canvas and smelling pleasant. Movement catches my attention, and I glance around, focusing on Lissa and the other girl, still wearing her sword.

The one with blue hair comes over to me as Lissa grabs something from a chest. "I'm glad to see you awake again." She slowly reaches out her hands to my shoulders. "I need to get you out of your coat so we can take care of your injuries, alright? You can have a blanket once you've been cared for." I nod and let her pull me up into a sitting position, and she opens the coat, pulling it down my arms before she stops, eyes widening in horror. "By the gods…! Aunt Lissa, you better hurry! She's more wounded than we thought!" she glances at the rest of my body, taking in the painful wounds from Father.

Lissa comes over with several potions and staves, only to stop and shriek in horror. "Gods! How could anyone do this?!"

Chrom charges back into the tent with another man in light blue armor, weapons drawn and eyes searching. "Lissa?! What's wrong?!"

I look away from them as their eyes land on me, and take in the extent of my torture. "Tortured…" the man in armor whispers, horror in his tone.

The girl pulls the coat around me, hiding my practically naked body from the males. "We're fine, we just didn't expect this much damage. Just wait outside Father, please."

They both suddenly blush and back out of the tent, and Lissa gathers herself again before sitting on the bed next to me. "I'm so sorry about that, Miss."

The other girl pulls the coat away again, raising me slightly to get the long tail out from under me. "I guess I should introduce us. I'm Lucina, and this is Lissa."

I nod and glance down, hissing in pain as the wounds on my back sting from Lissa's touch with her potions. "I'm sorry, but these will get rid of the infections before I can even think of going about healing you. I still have a long ways to go, gauging by your condition. Just try to stay calm and still so I get this done faster, okay?" I nod in answer, tears squeezing from my clenched eyes.

Lucina takes a wet cloth to my face, wiping away the grime and blood. "You'll be fine, she's one of the best healers around these days."

It takes a few hours before she finally finishes cleaning and healing all of my wounds. At one point, when all of the wounds on my torso were cared for, she and Lucina had taken a quick break to get me out of the rags I was wearing, and gave me a spare tunic to wear while they took care of the rest of the injuries. Lissa and Lucina wipe their red tinted hands off with wet towels before moving me to a chair so they can send the dirty ones to be washed.

They then wrap a blanket around me and help me to walk out of the tent. "Miss, we're gonna get you to the bathing tent so we can get you washed up, then you need to rest, alright?"

I open my mouth and try to form words, but my voice fails me, if I ever had a voice to begin with. I nod sadly and try to support myself a bit more on my own two feet.

Chrom offers a small smile to me as we step out. "Are you doing better now?" I nod in answer. "That's great to hear."

The other man in armor frowns. "Milord, we must question her soon, and find out what happened to her."

Chrom nods. "I know Frederick, but I don't want to push unless we must. I want her to be comfortable around us first."

I nod, grateful, and try returning the smile. "Well, Father, we'll bring her back here soon." Lucina murmurs, guiding Lissa and I away to a tent deeper into the camp, where I smell something fresh and flowery.

Okay, this won't be a super long story (I hope) so I'm gonna keep this short. If this is too graphic for you now, then just know I won't get too much more into what happened to Robin. I will get into why she can't talk next time, so stay tuned if you're still interested.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.

Also, Robin was never named in this story, so do not think she is already named! That is just there so you know who it is through the whole story, as I can't exactly call her 'girl.' Just know they will come up with the idea to name her Robin soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Lucina POV

I pull away the blanket around the woman, then pull the tunic from her to reveal once again her rail thin body, practically a skeleton with a thin layer of flesh and pale skin draped over it. I manage to get her easily into a tub of slightly steaming water as Lissa brings over a soap dish and shampoo, scented with lavender to help her be more at ease.

"Miss, can you wash yourself while we wash your hair?" I ask, offering the soap.

She nods silently as ever, and dips her hair into the water, already tainting it with a sickly brownish red cloud. I take the shampoo and get to work on her long hair, the soap quickly turning a sickly gray and pink. Very quickly, we have to get fresh water heated to replace the filthy water, repeated the entire process at least another two times before the water stays relatively clear. On the final rinse of her hair, I find it to be a very radiant white color, purer than the white of snow. It's even fairly soft after all of the washing, though I'm fairly sure we'll need to cut most of it away.

Finally, Lissa deems her clean and presents us with a towel, before bringing out a bucket filled with water and splashing it over me. "Aunt Lissa!" I groan, shivering at the shock of the cold water.

She chuckles, and offers me another towel for myself. "I told you I'd get you back for the other week, Lucina."

I roll my eyes, wrapping one of the towels around the woman before using my own towel to try drying off a little bit myself. "I left myself open to attack this once, but it shall never happen again."

The woman smiles lightly and wipes the towel over the wet skin, drying off before the water makes her cold again, and pulling on some smallclothes we had set aside earlier. "Miss, I grabbed a random outfit from the extras, which just so happened to be breeches and a shirt. I hope they fit." She offers me the shirt, which I help her into before letting her balance on me to get on the breeches, both fairly large on her due to her condition.

I force her to sit on a stool that somehow found its way in here and begin drying her hair as Lissa goes over her again with her healing staff, finding her hair to dry much faster than I thought it would as a result of the magic. Once her hair is mostly dry, I grab a brush from Lissa and slowly brush out the tangles of must have been years in the making.

Her hair is soft and dry by the time we finish with her, and she already looks much better, even without having been fed yet. "Are you ready to get some dinner?" Lissa asks finally, as I find a hair band on the ground and tie the long white hair into a low ponytail going over her shoulder. She gets a nod in response, and offers some slippers. She also pulls out a notebook and a pen. "Do you know how to read and write, by any chance?" She gets an enthusiastic nod, eyes brightening at the mere sight of writing materials. "Good, this will make communicating much easier so we understand you better, and you can tell us exactly what you feel is necessary."

Robin POV

Lucina deposits me in a seat next to Chrom in the mess tent, promising to bring me dinner as she walks away.

He turns to me with a smile and offers me a cup of juice. "It's good to see you're up and about. Are you doing alright?"

Rather than nodding, I pull out the journal and a new pen Lissa had given me. _I'm okay. Thank you for asking, Chrom._

He reads quickly, then looks back up at me. "I'm glad, but I'm also sorry that you went through all of that before we could get to you."

I shake my head, writing out, _It wasn't your fault. Father kept me hidden away my whole life in there after my mother tried to take me away from him as a child. Besides, if it meant that I could meet all you nice people, then it's worth it._

He frowns. "I don't think being tortured is something that would make anything worthwhile."

I smile at him. _Great rewards come to those who carry great burdens. All I've ever wanted is someone to care, and Father never did. He just wanted me to become Grima._

"Wait, so does that mean that you're Grima's Avatar?" he asks quietly.

 _Yes, sadly. I have heard from Grima when I was little, but he vanished soon after. Father thought that by beating me he could get Grima to talk again, but he just beat down the dragon. I don't even sense him anymore, not after he said… I was free from him, and that I would find hope in his enemies._ I look up to see Chrom's face twist with horror and shock. _I had a dream where you and your people were happy and laughing, without a care in the world. I saw Naga's blessing on all of you, and Grima whispered to me for the last time that you would save me from him. He was the only one who cared._

He gulps and looks away for a moment. "What is your name?" he asks after a while.

Shrugging, I write, _Father never gave me a name, but Grima once called me a bird, trapped in a cage even he wouldn't wish for any enemy._

He looks as though he wants to ask me something more, but then Lucina brings back a tray, laden with two bowls of thick stew, bread, and a small slice of pie. "Sorry I took so long, I wanted to make sure you would get enough of the stew before Stahl could get it all."

I smile and take my bowl and spoon from the tray, flipping to a new page in my journal to write out, _Thank you Lucina._

She and Chrom read the note and smile. "I think we should give you a name. After all, it would make it easier for everyone to refer to you and would be a lot nicer. What do you think?" Lucina asks me.

I hesitate as I hold the pen over the paper. _Some type of bird?_

Chrom gains a thoughtful expression. "Maybe we should talk with Miriel about names, she could give us a whole lot to pick from."

Lucina shivers and glances at the opening of the tent. "You can ask her, you're much more used to her lecturing."

I take a small spoonful of the stew, the smell rich and making my mouth water. The flavor of the meat bursts in my mouth, and the subtle spices add a pleasant kick to the overall taste. I hum in delight as I continue to finish off the bowl in record timing, before eyeing the slice of pie on Lucina's tray.

A laugh bursts from Chrom as Lucina stares at my empty bowl. "Did you seriously just eat all of that?" I nod in response. "Wow, you either really enjoyed it, or you were really hungry."

 _A bit of both, actually. It was delicious. Did you say something about a pie? I would like to try it if you did._ I scribble down, then show her.

With a smirk, Lucina hands me one of the slices of pie. "If you enjoyed the stew, then you'll love the pie."

"Sumia and Virion on kitchen duty again?" Chrom asks, amused as he investigates Lucina's bowl.

"Yes, Father. I know you already ate, so I'm not giving you any of my dinner again." Lucina laughs as she slaps Chrom's hand away from her fork.

 _Aren't you a little young to be her father?_ I pass the journal to Chrom, who blushes so darkly a tomato might be jealous.

"Yeah, about that… she's from a different future, one that no longer exists. I'm actually single, which is just as well, since she has no idea who her mother was."

I frown. _Why don't you know?_

Lucina sighs and tears apart a piece of bread, dunking it into the stew. "My parents were both killed in separate assassinations, mother soon after I was born, father when I was about eight. When I was fifteen, the Fell Dragon you almost became today was somehow awakened, and began destroying my world. After fighting for survival for a few years, and losing all my friends and family, I found a beacon of hope in Naga, who sent me back here to prevent all of that from happening."

Chrom rubs her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Lucina, I will make sure you get to know your mother in this time."

I glance away, suddenly losing all desire to eat as I see a woman, dressed in the robes of a Plegian Dark Mage, walks in. I stubbornly look at my plate, hoping she doesn't see me and approach. Lucina's hand on my arm makes me jump. "What's wrong?"

In shaky handwriting, I reply, _Why do you have a Plegian Dark Mage here?_

"She saved our lives a couple years ago in the war against Gangrel. She refused to fight in his name, and was willing to fight for us since I was willing to trust her." Chrom informs me. At my shiver of fear, he frowns. "Listen, she may be a bit dark and all that, but she's the one who found out where you were, even though she was under your mother's orders."

 _If you say she's trustworthy, then I'll take your word for it, but I don't want to be near any other Plegians for a while._ I chew on my lip as they read my note, before nodding slowly.

Lucina rises from her seat and gives me a hand up. "Let's get you back to bed, at least. You'll be needing your strength."

Before we can go more than a step, I scribble down a question. _My mother? She's alive?_

Lucina looks back to Chrom. "She's the current tactician, right?"

He nods, deep in thought. "Yes, she is. Though it is a shame she got sick before the march and couldn't come like she wanted. Miss, you can meet her when we get back to Ylisstol, and hopefully she'll be able to give us all the answers we need."

I nod and follow Lucina back to the medical tent where I woke up, slowly climbing into the slightly warmed sheets. "You'll be safe, I promise."

Okay, just a fluffy little thing to keep the creative thoughts flowing, but also critical information. Hope you enjoyed, and a bajillion thanks to all my favorites, followers, and reviewers! You have no idea how happy it made me to keep getting all the email alerts all the day after I published this, and everyone on my end is very pleased as well! This story is open to suggestions, but they are not required. If there are any requests, I may or may not have a few ideas on how to incorporate them, in either this or Fire Emblem Family, found in my profile if you are interested.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	3. Chapter 3

Arrival in the Palace

Robin POV

Chrom helps me down from the wagon, or more like picks me up and carries me off the wagon, then deposits me on my feet. "Glad to finally be out of there, Miss?"

I nod, scribbling in my journal, _Do I ever have to go in there again?_

He laughs and rubs my shoulder, eliciting a light blush from me. "No, I don't think so. Can you wait a moment so I can get everyone set?" I nod, and he steps away from me, already addressing the Shepherds.

Lucina comes to stand next to me after a moment. "Are you happy to be here?" I nod, smiling slightly. "Good, I don't think he would be happy otherwise. You know… Father seems to be getting a soft spot for you." I blush slightly and tilt my head. "Well, he's been adamant about knowing how you are recovering, and has been spending a lot of his time caring for you."

 _I'm just a victim, he's just doing what any kind person would._ I write out for her.

She shakes her head. "You don't see it yet, but it's fairly obvious to me, as his daughter. Give him a chance, at least?"

 _I'll give everyone a chance, but him above all. I owe him that much for all the time he's been spending with me._ I close the journal as Chrom comes back over to us.

"Hello there. Ready to head in, finally?" I nod, and he offers me his arm, which I wrap my hand around slowly. "So, you're probably going to have to wait for a room to be prepared for you, so we can either see about begging something from the chefs, show you to the library, or visit our tactician. Which would you like to do?" I put up three fingers, indicating I want to see my mother. "Seeing the tactician it is. Onward!"

I smile as Lucina shakes her head and several Shepherds bust out in laughter at Chrom's antics. "Father, you're… gah, I haven't the heart to say anything on the matter."

"Really now, young lady? Would you like to finish that statement now or over a practice spar?" he murmurs across me to her.

She pales and steps away with a false smile. "I was just commenting on how much you are still like a child, yet you're the Exalt."

"Ah, do I hear Chrom and Lucina out there?" a voice asks, gentle and familiar.

They stop and we turn around to find a woman wearing a long coat similar to the one Father made me wear in the ceremony, but with far less designs and just a plain dark blue fabric. She wears a set of breeches and a lighter jacket underneath the overcoat, several belts wrapped around her waist and gloves on her hands. I can't see her face due to the hood drawn over her head, hiding her face in shadows.

"Lady Tactician, it's good to see you again. This is the person we found at the Table, and Validar is dead, you'll be pleased to hear." Lucina says in a level voice, eyes shining with respect.

The woman lowers her hood, and gasps at the same time I do. "Oh gods, you're alive!" she whispers, running up to me, putting a hand on my cheek.

I blink, looking into her dark green eyes, taking in her sharp features of high cheekbones and small nose, like my own. Her pitch black hair drapes in long waves over her shoulders, almost blending in with her coat.

I mouth the word, ' _Mama?_ ' too shocked to think of anything else.

She pulls me into a tight hug, and I feel tears begin dripping into my shoulder. "I never thought I would see you again." She whispers into my ear, bending down slightly to get to my level, being just a couple inches shorter than her and Chrom. I feel her turn in Chrom's direction. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

"It was the least we could do, Kiandra, as you've done so much for us already." He answers, a smile evident in his voice. "Look, I know you would like to just stay here awhile longer, but she needs a proper meal at the moment."

Mama nods and releases me. "Of course, let's see if the kitchen has lunch ready yet." I take Chrom's arm again, and watch Mama glance our way with an interest gleaming in her eyes. "So, how have you been getting along with everyone in the Shepherds?" she asks me after a moment.

I smile and shrug, gaining a sound of confusion from her. "She means that she's been getting along alright, but some she just can't deal with." Chrom clarifies for me, to which I give him a nod of thanks.

She frowns. "But… can't you talk, child?" I shrug and shake my head. "Chrom, can you please clarify what she's trying to say?"

"She's tried, but couldn't for some reason. Maybe it's a spell that binds her voice, or a result of what happened to her." He answers once more, as I look away from her, the smile vanishing from my face, holding his arm a bit tighter.

"But that's impossible. She always spoke as a child, even laughed before I tried getting her out of there. There were never any spells that could do that, nor any physical way to persuade her to silence." She sounds on the brink of tears.

Lucina sighs. "You didn't see all the wounds, or the scars she now bears, when we found her. It's possible something was done to force her silence, or a mental protection she's built up to prevent herself from talking."

Chrom clears his throat. "Um, Kiandra, did you ever name her? Validar never referred to her with an actual name, and she says she doesn't have one."

She shakes her head. "I was never allowed to give her a name, as she was to bear Grima's soon enough, but I always referred to her as my little bird."

Taking my arm away from Chrom, I pull out my notebook and scribble a note. _Robin, I want that to be my name._

I turn the book to them, silencing the group of them. "Robin? That's a good name, but are you sure about that one?" I nod quickly as I shut it again, Chrom sighing as I do so. "Alright then, Robin. Let's continue to the mess hall."

Lucina POV

I frown as we enter the hall, remembering my mother's name was Robin. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I have a feeling the newly dubbed Robin is going to be my mother in a few short years. Now that I think of it, her mother was already the tactician, who had sent the Shepherds to save her daughter from the Awakening and to retrieve the Fire Emblem. Upon returning, she had chosen the name for herself, and then the rest was never shared with me. Everyone was hurt at mother's loss, and could hardly bear to talk about her, even up to their dying breaths as they lay dying on the battlefield.

Okay, calling it there. I was almost on the verge of posting this last night, since I had it done, and in thanks for all of the feedback I got just from chapter 2, but I decided to give it to you a day later, just to go over it one last time. I need to know though, should I give a background story for any particular character next, or should I save backgrounds for another time?

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


	4. Chapter 4

Robin POV

Mama guides us to a mess hall, still empty but for a few of the Shepherds and chefs running around. I inhale the amazing smell of the room, trying and failing to guess what is being cooked at the moment.

Lucina then takes my arm and pulls me away from Chrom, pulling me over to a seat. "So, what would you like to drink, water or juice?" she asks, pointing to a couple of pitchers in the center of the table.

I pull out the notebook and flip to a clean sheet. _What type of juice is it?_

She reads it with a smile. "It's orange juice today." I nod and she pours me a full glass, which I find to be cool and refreshing.

Mama then walks over with a bowl of soup for me and a plate of meat and vegetables that makes my mouth water. "You still need a gentle diet after that slop you've been eating, but I'll let you taste some of this, okay?"

I pout and write to her, _But they've let me have more than soup on our way here._

She frowns at Chrom as she finishes reading, a bit of anger flashing in her eyes making me scoot away with my soup. "You let her have solid food that fast? You've only had her for three weeks, and you're already messing up her system!"

He puts his hands up defensively and widens his eyes. "Lissa and Maribelle cleared her to eat the same stuff as the rest of us, and she hasn't been getting sick!" Mama sighs and sits down next to me as Chrom settles down across from me. "Really, if you go about it that way, Robin will never get to try all the good foods when the summer festivals come around."

She points her fork at him threateningly. "You had best not feed her everything in sight, or you'll be answering to me." Lucina laughs and I stifle a grin by eating a spoonful of the plain soup. I make a face at the tangy flavor, and give Mama a look. "It's got herbs in it to help you gain your strength, so deal with it."

 _Doesn't taste like any herbs that I like._ She frowns at my response, and I quickly take another mouthful of the soup. _But it's better than what I used to choke down._

She nods in approval. "I much prefer that answer."

Chrom laughs, and I give him a light glare. "She made me eat that stuff when I got sick a while back, and it worked wonders, so just deal with it so she gets off your back." Mama tries to kick him under the table, but he dodges to the side. "So why aren't you having any of that soup? I thought you were the one who was sick."

She growls and stabs her fork into a piece of meat on her plate. "I got over it last week, while you were taking your own sweet time getting back here."

 _Lucina, are they usually like this?_ I scoot the book over to her, and she shrugs.

"They are like overgrown children fighting over a new toy at times, but your mother always manages to silence Father in the end."

"As his tactician, that is my job." She grumbles loudly as she takes out her anger on her food.

Chrom POV

I escort Robin to her room in the guest wing, close to my own and her mother's so she may be more comfortable. She clings loosely to my arm, yawning repeatedly even though the sun hasn't fallen close to the horizon yet. I nudge her elbow with my free hand as we near the room. "A bit of excitement wear you out already?" She rolls her eyes and squeezes my arm slightly, leaning on me for a moment before poking my side with a blush. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I've never had a boring day around the Shepherds, and they've already accepted you."

She smiles as I stop and open the door to her small suite, containing a sitting area, a rather large bed and hearth, and a connected washroom. In the sitting area, she is immediately drawn to the bookcase, running a finger across the spines of many old books I wasn't aware were in here. She turns to me and pulls out her notebook, scribbling hastily, _If you're trying to bribe me with all of this, it's working._

I let out a small chuckle at her teasing, and shoo her away from the books. "You can read tomorrow. For now, bed, or Lissa will have my head on a silver platter before the moon rises." She grumbles a bit, but leaves the books in favor of leaping onto the fluffy bed, the sheets extra soft and pillows recently stuffed for her. She immediately grabs a small pillow like a child would hold their favorite doll and stares at me with one eye peeking out from under her mop of long hair. I just shake my head at her childish antics and leave, looking back one last time to see her crawling under the blankets, slippers placed neatly next to her bed, eyes already drooping shut. "Sweet dreams, Robin." I close the door and head to the meeting room, finding Lucina and Lissa with knowing looks.

Lissa casually strolls over to me, that mischievous glint in her eye matching the smirk on her lips. "I think someone's _interested_ ~!"

I feel the blood rushing to my face and stutter wordlessly for a moment. "I-I hardly know the girl, for crying out loud! Lucina, back me up on this!" I turn to my daughter from the future, pleading silently for her aid.

She, however, has already made her loyalties clear to my little sister. "I agree with Aunt Lissa, Father. You have been spending most of your time with her lately, finding one excuse after another, more and more daily just to take care of her, when someone else could clearly do the same." She pats Lissa's shoulder and grins wickedly. "Besides, I don't know who mother was, but I think the name rings a few bells~."

I groan and bury my fingers in my hair. "So my only hope has failed me! Lissa, why must you do this to me?"

"I'm your sister, it's in the job description to torture you in such a manner." She giggles as I make a swipe at her, trying to catch her, but she dances back and out of my reach. "Besides, I think she may like you too."

I stop chasing her and look between two of my three favorite women, and realize Robin wouldn't be putting up with me if she didn't like either me or the constant attention. "Do you think so?" I mumble, somewhat hopeful.

Lucina nods, a small smile on her face. "Show her around the palace, maybe try helping her to bond with her mother again, just spend time with her. Show her that you won't leave her alone; that's what she's afraid of- that someone she's grown so fond of will leave her alone again, abandoning her."

I nod, fully understanding why she would have abandonment issues. "If that's what you think I should do, then I'll try my best. But for now, where is Frederick? I thought we had a meeting scheduled for after dinner?"

Lissa backs towards the door. "Uhm, about that… we just wanted to corner you about this. The meeting isn't until next week with the lords when they get back from their estates."

The girls charge out of the room as fast as their feet can carry them, and I just watch in amusement for a moment before leaving after them. I stop by Robin's room, peeking in to find her sleeping peacefully on her side under her mountain of blankets. Her white hair blends in with the sheets, barely discernable from the cotton.

I leave her to her rest and go down the hall to my own room, hoping to find only a small stack of paperwork to take care of tonight. I open my room, stepping in to find the place in pristine condition, compared to the disaster I would normally come into. I make my way over to the large oak desk, finding a larger stack of paper than I would have liked to find, and sit down to work, picking up a random quill and opening the inkwell.

One Month Later

Lucina POV

I walk down to the training grounds, pulling out one of the more damaged dummies to practice with. Pulling off my cape, I draw Falchion and begin with a series of slashes, adding a few thrusts in to make a pattern. Slowly, I work up a sweat, grunting with each pass of the blade, closing out the rest of the world as my focus falls solely to improving my grip and stance on the holy blade.

The dummy shatters with my final swipe, and I let out a sigh, wiping my face with my sleeve before applause echoes out from behind me. I turn to find Kiandra standing there, her hood down and a smile on her face. "You've improved a lot Lucina. I would dare say that you could give your father a good challenge if you wanted to."

I look down to the ruined dummy. "I think he would still not have to put that much effort into the victory."

With a soft chuckle, she shakes her head and helps me to clean up the mess of the destroyed dummy. "But he would definitely need to work for the victory, there is no denying that simple fact."

"Why are you here?" I ask, wondering what would have brought her to visit me when she ought to be doing the paperwork with Father.

She shrugs. "I did my work and found myself a little restless, and decided to watch you practice awhile." She then looks at me with concern. "Do you still worry over my allegiances?"

I shake my head. "I don't personally, but I know there are some who still feel that notion. Besides, you never told us how you got out of Plegia with your life."

Her eyes, shining for a moment, lose their spark, and she seems to shut down a little. "I did it through great sacrifice, and that's all you ever need to know, Lucina."

The mess cleaned up, she leaves the practice court, I assume heading back to her rooms for the night. With a little sigh, I sheathe Falchion and pick up my cape, heading in to see if Father needs any help before I go to bed. I pass the guards as they patrol in the rapidly darkening halls, the rich light of the dying sun fading quickly to almost full darkness as I traverse the halls, giving the place a dreamlike quality. The halls seem almost too quiet as I reach the royal suites, but I have grown used to the silent way Father and Kiandra work.

I knock on Father's door, to which I hear a mumbled, "Come in." Rolling my eyes at the unfocused tone, I walk in to find him bent over a pile of paperwork, adding a finished document to the top of a stack of finished ones with one hand, while the one holding his quill reaches for the smaller stack waiting to be finished. He looks to me as he sets down the new document. "Lucina? What is it?"

I hold back a smile as I eye the papers scattered around. "I was wondering if you wanted some help finishing your work, or if there was anything else you would like before I went to bed."

He raises an eyebrow. "Early night, for once. What brought this on?"

"I've had a long day, and I was planning to read a book tonight, if nothing else needed my attention."

He looks dejectedly towards the remaining work. "Would you help with this? I know it could get put off until the morning, but then I won't be able to sleep in like I am hoping to."

I sit down across from him and grab an extra quill he always has lying around on his desk. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't going to help." I grumble, pulling a couple of documents over and settling down to work silently.

An hour passes, and Father signs the final document at last, and we both let out small cheers, knowing most of the palace is asleep by now. "Thanks a million, Lucina. I wouldn-" he stops midsentence, hearing something, eyes and ears focused towards the door. I then hear a faint whimper, an unfamiliar voice echoing through the hall. I turn to Father, rising from my seat as he does, a hand on Falchion's hilt.

"Father, where is it coming from?" I ask quietly, trying to listen as he opens the door and checks the hallway, right on his heels.

"I think it's coming from Robin's room. I'll go check on her." He keeps a hand on Falchion as he walks the short distance to Robin's door, and I follow, clearly as he didn't really plan on me doing. He knocks gently on the door, and the whimpering is muffled. "Robin, can I come in?" he calls, and a small shriek echoes out. Father crashes through the door, drawing Falchion as he charges in. "Robin!" he shouts, and I barge in right behind him, finding a man trying to strangle Robin, pulling out a knife to try stabbing the girl clinging to life.

"No!" I shout, dashing forward to tackle the man, knocking him to the floor on the other side of the bed and pinning him down with Falchion to his throat. "Who sent you here?!"

He laughs as a choking wheeze sounds from the bed. "The avatar must die for her sins!"

The bed creaks as Father climbs onto the bed, pulling away the blankets and cutting something away with the fallen dagger. "Robin, look at me." He whispers delicately, and a sob echoes from the blankets. "Shh, it's alright." I feel his gaze land on me as I keep my eyes on my captive. "Lucina, call the guards."

I nod and stand up, sheathing my sword and pulling all weapons away from the assassin. I then tie his hands with his own rope, gagging him with a spare rag I had in my pocket. I turn to look at the bed, finding Robin crying in Chrom's arms, bruises forming already on her neck, wrists, and along her arms. I step out with one last glare at the man bound on the floor, finding several guards running down the hall towards us, Frederick in the lead. "Milady, we heard a disturbance! Are you alright?" the Great Knight asks, eyes flicking between me and the open door to Robin's suite.

"We just had an assassin make an attempt on Robin's life. The culprit is inside, bound." I lead him into the room, where he immediately grabs the killer and tosses him to the guards. "I want him interrogated as soon as possible, and keep him bound and gagged at all other times."

A sergeant salutes me. "As you wish, milady." Two men drag the man away, whose eyes begin to take on a note of panic.

I refocus on the occupants of the room; Frederick is examining the window, and Chrom is doing fairly well at calming down Robin, though she seems to keep her strong grip on him. I sit next to Father on the bed. "Where will she sleep for the rest of the night? If they got to her in here, she needs a different room."

He shakes his head. "Somehow, I think she won't be getting much more sleep tonight." Robin curls her legs up a bit, taking ahold of Chrom's shirt and whimpering. "It's alright Robin, you're safe. I won't let anyone else hurt you, and if they do hurt you somehow, I'll make sure they never do it again."

She seems to take some comfort in his words, and relaxes her grip slightly. She opens her mouth, and seems to be attempting to form words, but only a weak sound escapes her lips. Disheartened by her inability to communicate, she mimes something, like she is tipping something over.

I fail to understand until Frederick passes a half-filled glass of water to her, earning a weak smile. "Robin, would you be able to inform us what happened here tonight?" She nods her head, but shrugs her shoulders. "You're not sure of everything, just some?" She nods fully this time, and takes a drink from her glass. I realize she's shaking so much that the water is sloshing around in the glass, and realize she's more shaken than I had thought.

Okay, done there. Let me know what your thoughts are, please? If you give me an idea I like enough, you'll either get a one-shot if it's unrelated to this story, or I'll make a future chapter dedicated to your idea!

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening


	5. Chapter 5

Robin POV

Chrom takes me to his office, sending Lucina to bring Mama to us. He pours me another glass of water, settling me in a comfy chair on the other side of his desk, as he sits in the one next to me.

He's quiet as he stares at the floor, waiting until the sound of someone running makes him look up at the door, a hand on Falchion until Lucina walks in, panting with tears in her eyes, blood all over her outfit. "Lucina, what happened?" he asks, rising and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"She's… she's dead, I tried to stop the bleeding, but I was too late by the time I found her…" she gasps, sobs wracking her body as she collapses into his arms.

I put my glass on the desk, fearing to drop it on the ground, by whole body going numb. They were after us, and only I lived because Chrom and Lucina heard from my room. I clench my eyes shut, feeling tears build up and my lips trembling. "Ma… ma…" I whimper, curling my legs up into the chair and wrapping my arms around my knees, crying again.

Chrom's arms wrap around me, and he rubs my back to try comforting me, but it gets me nowhere, reminding me of that night…

" _Mama, where are we going?" I ask her, frowning as we hurry through the dark halls of the palace._

 _She squeezes my hand and pulls me along closer to her side. "Away from here, from your father. I don't want this life for you."_

" _Why?" I ask, confused._

" _Because he wants you to become Grima, and I won't see it happen to you, not in this life or the next."_

 _An evil laugh echoes down the hall, as Father blocks the end of the hall. "Now, now, Katarina, you won't need to see it, now will you? After all, we only really need out child to remain." He opens an evil book and waves his hands, a purple haze surrounding both him and me, before I'm suddenly in his arms. I struggle against his cold, clawing hand, unable to get away from him._

" _Mama!" I scream, scared._

" _No! Validar, stop it! You're scaring her!"_

 _He laughs and holds me tighter. "Now, you have two choices. Leave, and forget this, or stay and die in a fight for our child!"_

 _I breathe really fast and pray to the dragon in my head. 'Grima, please! I don't want him to hurt Mama! Daddy scares me!'_

 _He grumps and grants me some power. 'Wish for her to be someplace safe then, my little bird.'_

" _Mama, I love you," I whisper as I raise my hand, my brand shining for a moment before a black portal opens under her._

 _Her eyes widen as it pulls her in. "NO!" she shouts as she vanishes, a spell lighting up one hand as the other reaches for me._

I cry into Chrom's shoulder, regretting having sent her away like that for my own selfishness. "You're going to be alright Robin, I promise," Lucina whispers, just as upset as me.

"I-I…" I gasp, trying to talk again, getting somewhere.

"Shh, it's alright," Chrom whispers in my ear. "We're not going anywhere."

I shake my head, clutching the back of his shirt as I uncurl in the chair. Lissa comes into the room, her hands covered in a little blood to show she had been with Mama before. "Chrom, let me have a look at her," she whispers as she comes over to us.

He steps to the side, but I don't let go of his shirt, keeping him close. He smiles tightly and moves my grip from his shirt to his hand, squeezing gently as Lissa's staff heals my bruises from my own attack, taking first the pain, then the marks.

Once she finishes, she wipes her hands off on a rag in her pocket, then wraps me in a delicate hug. "I tried everything I could Robin. I'm so sorry." I nod into her shoulder and squeeze her as tight as I can. "I have a draught so you can sleep through the night without dreams, I know you'll be needing it," she says, offering me a small green bottle.

I take it from her, then she leaves. I look up at Chrom for a moment before looking down, my hair falling over my eyes. "Come on, Robin. You can share my room with me tonight," Lucina whispers, helping me up from the seat.

"Goodnight, Lucina, Robin," Chrom murmurs as the door closes behind us, sitting down at his desk.

Lucina leads me down the hall to her room, which looks almost exactly like Chrom's but more organized with a bunch of bright paintings hung up everywhere with banners from all over the world. She gestures for me to go to her bed as she goes towards her wardrobe. "I need to bathe, then I'll go to bed. You can take one side of my bed, and I'll take the other, so we'll both be comfortable."

I nod and sit down, staring at the bottle Lissa gave me with a heavy heart as Lucina vanishes into her washroom, almost appearing instantly with a hand over mine. I look up at her with tears in my eyes, and she smiles sadly. "I loved her just as much as you did, Robin, believe me I did. I understand what you're going through, and that you don't want to sleep, but you need to. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

I pull the stopper out of the top of the bottle and swallow the sweet mixture, feeling the effects instantly as a wave of calmness settles over me. I dimly register Lucina taking the bottle from me and tucking me under the covers, before everything blanks out.

One week later

Lucina POV

I sigh as I read over the report from the assassin's interrogation. Just another Naga extremist trying to destroy any with connections to the Grimleal. I flex my gloved right hand, remembering the brand of Grima that used to shine brightly when I was little, before fading away when Grima was revived, leaving without warning in the night.

A knock on the door drags me from my reverie, and I sit up straighter. "Come in," I call, and the door opens to allow Father and Sir Frederick in. "What is it?" I ask, concerned at the careful expressions both wear.

"Milady, we need to know if anything like this occurred in your time with the assassin," Frederick states plainly, though I faintly detect the grief in his voice. He truly cared about Katarina, who became like a mother to all the Shepherds, regardless of her past.

I shake my head. "There was never an attempt, as far as I'm aware, until soon after I was born."

Chrom sighs, blushing slightly as he looks up. "Robin was your mother, wasn't she?" he asks me.

I look to my hand and shrug. "I believe so. All the pieces fit together, the brand I had as a little girl, her name, and the way you look at her… I can't believe I didn't put it together sooner, I was only hoping that she would become my mother eventually."

He smiles with relief, and pulls a small box out of his pocket. "She doesn't know yet, but I've been thinking of properly courting her lately, and I've bought her a birthday gift." He opens it to reveal a beautifully made miniature dagger, one that could be hidden in a pocket or even in the proper hairstyle. "Do you think she would like it?"

I shrug. "I think she would, but I can't be so sure… not after…"

He nods solemnly. "It's not like her birthday is coming up soon, so I can always save it for another year. I just don't know what to give her that could cheer her up. She's been so sad lately, and I don't know what to do."

I suddenly perk up. "I know what we could do! Take her out shopping, or give her some basic tomes!"

Frederick frowns at my suggestion. "Tomes? How do you know she would want that?"

"When I showed her the library, she was drawn to the tactics and tomes, and I literally had to drag her away," I reply, brushing off his doubt.

Father smiles for the first time in the past few days. "That's right, I had almost forgotten how much she loves books. Maybe we could give her a few volumes of books on tactics and a tome or two." He grins at me, joy in every line of his body. "Thank you, Lucina."

I nod at him. "I'm glad I could offer assistance. Anyway, when is her birthday?" I ask, suddenly wondering the same thing myself.

"In a few more weeks, so we have time to sneak everything in," he responds.

Frederick snorts. "You would give away the surprise, milord. Why don't you give me a list, and the Shepherds can all pitch in for the gifts."

"A great idea, Frederick," he praises the Great Knight, taking a pen and paper from my desk and writing a few titles down. "Which types of tomes should we give her? Wind, fire, or lightning?"

"Um, I think lightning would be the best one. You know how much she loves watching thunder storms at night," I mutter as I smile, recalling her captivated expression and curiosity about the thunder and lightning, and the wonder that it could be controlled by a strong enough magic user in the same force.

"That is something I was unaware of," Frederick comments, taking the completed list of volumes from Father. "I will find out the total cost, and collect the contributions from everyone who wishes to contribute to a group gift." He then bows, taking his leave to take care of the chore, muttering something about finding a Levin Sword under his breath.

Father shakes his head, and slightly blushes. "Lucina, thanks for helping me with that."

"Of course Father. To be honest, I was also trying to figure out a gift that nobody else would think of. You just reminded me of my observations," I respond, smiling to myself. "I bet she'll love the group gift, especially if she wakes up to the gifts already being in her room, or walking in to find them on her bookshelf."

He laughs and nods. "Gods know how much she would love a pleasant surprise along those lines." His laughter ends as he sees what I'm reading. "Can you believe that someone would go to such extremes for someone who was innocent in all of this Grima business?"

I shake my head. "It's hard to swallow, but I can believe it. Things like this weren't so uncommon in the time I came from, Father, but it was usually the other way around."

"Was… was Katarina around in your time? While you were growing up?" he asks, curiosity dripping from his tone.

I smile. "She would train with the both of us, since Mother was gone. She was like a mother to me, as well as the Shepherds."

He shakes his head with a sad smile. "I can believe that she would be like that."

I look out the window, estimating it to be a little after noon. "Would you like to go train with me, Father? I need a break from all of this," I offer, rising from my desk.

"Of course. Maybe we could stop by Robin's room and drag her out for some fresh air and amusement?" he asks with a bashful smile.

I laugh lightly and nudge him. "Of course, Father. At least I get to see exactly how my parents got together this time around, huh?"

"Yeah, at least it isn't too much of a cliché, I have to admit that much," he says, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment as we leave my office.

We walk down the hall, and I decide to tease him a little bit. "Oh, I don't know Father… the handsome prince comes in to rescue the damsel in distress when all hope seems lost, then literally sweeping her off her feet!" I announce dramatically with a flourish of my hands. "It's not just a cliché, it's the classic fairytale!"

He blushes slightly and lightly shoves me over, while I simply laugh at him. "Watch if I let you have a relationship anytime soon, young lady."

I wink at him and reduce my laughter into a light chuckle. "I don't have any such plans for a long time Father, so have no worries." I stop us as we reach Robin's new room, which happens to be across from Father's now. I knock lightly as I slowly push open the door. "Robin?"

"Mm…?" a voice groans from the desk, where we see her slumped across a book in front of her. She smiles slightly and waves for us to come in, placing a scrap of paper into her book to mark her spot, then turning to us.

"Would you like to watch us train? Or try your own hand at using a weapon?" Chrom asks, fidgeting slightly, shuffling his feet.

She grins widely and jumps to her feet, grabbing her book and a cushion before pulling a wrapped package from under her desk and shoving all of it into the endless pockets of her mother's coat, her only inheritance. She then gestures for us to head out, though I see a bit of sadness still lingering in her eyes.

Father offers her his arm, which she takes, though once we get into the hall, she grabs my other arm the second I close her door. "Excited are we?" I ask jokingly, and she just smiles secretively.

Father, seeing the smile, seems to go on guard, though I see the mirth in his eyes. "I sense mischief afoot. What are you planning, Robin? A prank with Lissa?"

She giggles and winks at him, and I begin to worry that it might have something to do with us. "If it is indeed a prank, we are really in for it this time, aren't we Father?" I ask as we turn down a hallway, and he nods as we continue on down a few more halls in a comfortable silence.

"ROBIN! Where are you?!" we hear Lissa shriek from behind us, and her running in our direction. With a wink, she lets go of our arms and runs off faster than I would have expected, vanishing around the corner just as Lissa turns another corner into our hallway. "Chrom, Lucina! Have you seen that scamp?!"

"Uh…" we respond, confused.

She facepalms and gives us what is supposed to be a withering look that looks more like a child having a tantrum. "I'm trying to get her to try on some dresses for next month, and she keeps vanishing every time I come to get her. It's been like this since yesterday."

I shrug and turn away. "Sorry, I don't know where she would have run off to this time. She'll turn up soon, you can drag her off then. We're heading to the practice court, so we'll see you later, Aunt Lissa." I quickly grab Father's arm and run off in the same direction Robin went, figuring that she might already be hiding in a tree down at the practice court.

Okay, close enough in length to the other chapters, so calling it quits right there. Sorry for killing off a character, I really liked her, but I showed you the choice that was made for her, as I alluded to it last time. I hope you enjoyed, and sorry for the long wait.

I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening.


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